BUDGET 2026: MSN PLEDGES TO REPAY GOVT'S TRUST WITH SUCCESS OF ATHLETES AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The National Sports Council (NSC) is committed to repaying the government's trust in announcing a large allocation for sports development in Budget 2026 through the success of more national athletes at the international level.

MSC director-general Jefri Ngadirin in a statement today said the allocation is significant as his party begins empowering the preparation and training programmes for national athletes, especially for those listed in the Road to Gold (RTG) Programme, Podium Programme and Talent Programme at the state level.

He said next year will see national athletes competing in several major sporting events, namely the ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.

Jefri said MSN has also begun a long-term preparation programme for national athletes to face the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games to be held in Malaysia in 2027.

“MSN is very grateful to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who announced an increase in allocation for national sports development during the tabling of Budget 2026 in Dewan Rakyat on Friday.

“MSN is also grateful for the allocation given to the development of para athletes through development programmes at the state level, especially for participation in the 2026 SUKMA Para Games,” he said.

Yesterday, Anwar announced that the development of national sports would continue to be intensified with a larger allocation of more than RM580 million ringgit covering, among others, the empowerment of high-performance sports including the RTG programme and preparations for the 2027 SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA